“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” — Malachi 4:2

devotional

God’s people have always believed that their God was a Healer, that he cared about the sick and the lame. Today’s passage was a promise to the Jewish people; that when the Messiah came, he too would be a healer.

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. ” — Daniel 9:3

devotional

Fasting can be an intimidating spiritual discipline. Some people have no idea how to fast, so they simply don’t do it. And then some people may think they're fasting every day because they skip breakfast. Either way, fasting is often misunderstood.

“But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw [Jesus] eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with such scum?’" — Luke 2:16

devotional

In our busy, nonstop world, sitting down to eat a meal with others often seems like a luxury. Or maybe to some it’s more of a distraction, a waste of time that could be spent doing more important things. We’ve become so accustomed to eating alone or eating rushed meals on the go. When was the last time you actually got to sit down and enjoy a meal?

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

devotional

We make sure to take good care of our homes, our cars, and all the rest of our stuff. We wash and wax our cars, install the latest software onto our phones, and upgrade our homes whenever we can. We are especially mindful to take good care of the expensive stuff. After all, we paid a lot of money for our ____________ (insert favorite possession here). But do we treat our bodies with the same respect that we show to our stuff?